Nothing Else Matters If You’re Not Able To Close The Sale

The majority of novice salesman will talk your ear off, they can ramble on for miles about nothing, while never knowing or realizing what the prospect is ever wanting, thinking, or doing.

That’s around the point where the customer will generally begin to get that glazed look over their face, their eyes darting to where the nearest exit is, yawning for distraction.

The best of the salespeople, however, knows exactly which questions to ask at the most opportune times, this so they can mine valuable information from their potential customer. You need to know what these questions to ask are, otherwise, you’ll risk boring or scaring them, sending them scrambling to get away.

You may of crested to the point where you’ve become annoying, and even if they are ready to buy, you may have convinced them to buy elsewhere, even if it’s at a higher price.

But if you direct the right questions at the right time, that will usually open the door directing you closer to shutting the sale. These are the “power” questions which you need to know and have the courage to ask.

These queries are also generally friendly in nature, unobtrusive, while helping you gauge the temperature of the prospect. You won’t pressure them or make them feel uncomfortable, while seeing better results.

Who’s Making The Final Purchasing Decision
In any sale, especially the larger ticket items such as a new car, it’s important to completely understand how and who’s making the purchasing decision, so find out who the key personnel are that’s calling the shots.

So ask, and if your prospect answers truthfully, the knowledge which you gain allows you to tailor your closing approach, this by making sure that you know who all of the parties are that’s involved.

The husband will generally choose the car which has the lowest price, the best features such as engine size, or the best gas mileage, while the wife will usually make the buying decision based on the color, options, features, then ultimately the price.

Know The Exact Reason Why They’re Shopping Today
Once a prospect enters a business or store, what the salesperson will often ask is a generic question such as, “How can I help you today?” or “What would I be able to show you today?”

These types of open ended question makes it too easy for that customer to just say, “Just looking,” or “Nothing, I’m just browsing.” Replies which gives you no information whatsoever, while doing nothing to help you meet their particular needs.

Instead, if you ask, “What brought you to our store today?” you should get deeper insight and a reason, which gives you the opportunity to begin building a beneficial relationship.

Ask Why “This” Particular Product or Service
Once a prospective customer asks whether you offer a certain product or service, what the majority of salespeople will do is reply with a simple yes or a no.

So the next time that you reply favorably with a “yes,” you can then immediately follow up by asking what the reason is, what prompted them to originally seek out the product or the service.

This can also be used if someone asks you if you carry a product which is comparable to something that a major competitor of yours offers.

The reason why they’re usually asking is because they’re either looking to replace their current supplier, either because the price is too high, the service too poor, the quality not great, or they never carry enough inventory.

Know Exactly What The Buying Timeline Is
Up to 80% percent of all customers who enters your store are in the “window shopping” mode. Looking at what’s available, different selections that you offer, such as, color, price, availability, and warranty, etc.

One of the biggest mistakes that the majority of salespeople make is that they’ll push forward too far too fast, pressuring the “looky-loo’s” to buy on the spot, immediately.

They have no idea that the customer isn’t ready to buy, or how important that the purchase is to them. So you need to ask what their timeline for purchasing is.

Once you know, then you’ll realize how urgent or not that the prospect’s needs are. There could be a variety of reasons such as they needing to arrange financing, or they’re waiting to get paid, etc.

Once you know their buying pattern, you can then match their level of urgency. Realize that if they’re not buying today, regardless of how good the price is, they’re not buying today.

But once you know what their time-line is, it also helps the prospect realize that you understand what their going through, which increases the chances that they’ll come back and purchase the product or service from you.

Ask The Prospect What They’d Like Or Want To Happen Next
This perhaps one of the most powerful closing statements that a salesman can make. It’s also an easy and a fair one to ask while using it to your advantage.

Asking what the prospect wants to do next is isn’t intimidating to them. So once you both know what the next step is going to be, what you’re basically doing is silently asking for the sale, while not placing any pressure on them.

Their answer will also quickly uncover any questions, doubts, or objectives that they may have. Once they’re resolved, it then gives you a clear path to ask for the sale, and then close the deal.

Asking them what they want to do next becomes especially helpful when there’s a delay on the purchasing decision, so what you’re also doing is removing the final roadblocks allowing you to close the sale.